Fanaa ***1/2
Cast : Aamir Khan, Kajol, Tabu, Rishi Kapoor, Kiron Kher.
Direction : Kunal Kohli
Showing At: R Adlabs, Cinemax.
Forget the controversies surrounding the film: Gujarat's ban, Aamir's 'no' to an apology, the height of the Narmada Dam, the farmer's rehabilitation, the violence in Vadodara... Fanaa wasn't meant to be a part of this meaningless imbroglio. Simply because its a film that showcases Aamir like never before.
We have seen the actor trying to perfect a style of acting based so heavily on reality that you almost begin to believe Aamir's characters are actually flesh and blood rather than figments of imagination. In Fanaa, he writes an actor's manual for impeccable acting. This was a difficult role and the possibilities of getting it wrong were immense. For, playing a terrorist who does the tightrope between love and a rogue nuclear bomb has all the potential of an ill-timed explosion. But Aamir displays a normalcy that is chilling- as terrorist who masquerades as the friendly guide. And yet, when he must kill, he simply kills. No apologies for all the soulless violence.
The film as Kajol's comeback vehicle, it leaves you with that million dollar query? Why did she have to turn her back to the industry for so many years. The actress still spells magic on the screen and makes the current breed seem quite faltu. As Zooni, the blind Kashmiri girl who falls in love with the Dilli ka Romeo, Rehaan, she is irresistible. In fact, it is the poignancy of the romance between the ill-matched duo which makes the film more dramatic than the terrorist track which remains raw and undeveloped. Aamir, who masquerades as an army officer, is actually a terrorist who dreams of Azad Kashmir. And in between his missions he meets Kajol, makes love to her, gives her the gift of sight and disappears, only to reappear again in her coccooned life. The film may not be a chatpata entertainer but there is an elegant charm and a straight-from-the-heart feel which makes it worth a dekko.
